Interview peeks behind the curtain of City of Heroes' final act

Yes, City of Heroes is gone. And it was as surprising to the Paragon Studios staff as it was to players. A recent interview with Matt Miller, former lead designer, explores the effort that management put into saving the studio and the game right up until the last minute. It also highlights the content that barely missed release.

In speaking about the buyout plan that Paragon management was negotiating, Miller stated, "We all were really working as if things were going to work out... it was business as usual right up until the last day.

"On the night before we all got the notice of the studio shutting down, Brian, Ross, and Destin were in there still trying to work out that deal," Miller continued. "We were a signature away from things going through or not -- and we unfortunately fell on the not side."

But did the team try everything? Miller acknowledged all of the great ideas that fans proposed and he says that each and every avenue was already explored. And what of the fans who'd like to see the developers come together under their own banner? While it's a good idea in theory, Miller says that in reality, many employees had already lined up new jobs by November 1st, and starting a new studio became increasingly impossible as time went on.